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CLEVELAND, Aug. 31 – The brother of American gymnastics star Simone Biles has been arrested and charged with murder. He is accused of killing three people at a New Year 's Eve party in Cleveland, law enforcement agencies said yesterday.
Tevin Biles-Thomas, 24, of Cleveland, was incarcerated at Liberty County Jail in Hinesville, Georgia on six counts of murder, three willful homicides, five criminal assaults and one perjury, according to a joint statement of the Cleveland Police Division and the Cuyahoga County District Attorney's Office.
His indictment at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center in Cleveland, where a grand jury charged him, was set for Sept. 13. Authorities said that it was impossible to know if he had a lawyer.
Biles-Thomas was part of an "uninvited group" who entered the evening at New Year's Eve's house, which resulted in an altercation with guests and shots, prosecutors said.
Two men died on the scene: Delvante Johnson, 19, and Toshaun Banks, 21. A third victim – Devaughn Gibson, 23 – was pronounced dead at a hospital.
"The Cleveland Police Homicide Unit conducted an investigation and identified Tevin Biles-Thomas as a shooter," the statement said.
The authorities declined to say whether other armed men were involved, saying: "This case is still under active investigation; therefore, we are unable to comment further. "
Biles-Thomas, a US Army soldier, was arrested Thursday in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Biles-Thomas, who occupies the rank of specialist, is a member of the gun crew assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, said base spokesman Christopher Fletcher. He joined the army in 2014 and was deployed to Korea in 2018 as part of a rotating deployment.
The authorities have not explained why he was slow to make an arrest.
The arrest comes the same month that Simone Biles, 22, made history in the US Gymnastics Championships by becoming the first woman to perform a complicated triple-double maneuver at ground. She is one of more than 100 gymnasts who claim to have been assaulted by former Gymnastics USA team doctor, Larry Nassar, who is serving a prison term of up to 175 years after pleading guilty for criminal sexual behavior.
Biles and her brother were among several siblings raised by different family members after their birth mother, who struggled with addiction, gave up custody as a young child.
The gymnast's representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Thursday, Biles wrote on Twitter: "Eating my feelings does not speak to me." – Reuters
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